Little Gunpowder Falls

About

The Little Gunpowder Falls watershed is rural in character and forms much of the boundary between eastern Baltimore County and western Harford County. Approximately half of the watershed is located in Baltimore County. The Little Gunpowder Falls watershed begins near the intersection of Troyer and Hunter’s Mill Road extending southeast along the Baltimore and Harford County border through the communities of Jacksonville, Sweet Air, Baldwin, Fork, Kingsville, Franklinville and Bradshaw, and emptying into the Gunpowder River upstream of Day’s Cove.

This watershed has large tracts of agricultural land, forested land and a low density of development as compared to most of the other watersheds in Baltimore County. The upper portion of the watershed is predominantly agriculture with the lower portion having an increased density of development including low density residential, industrial and commercial land use.

Approximately 4,000 acres of this watershed run through Gunpowder Falls State Park, Maryland’s largest state park. The Sweet Air section of the Park located in Baldwin is a popular destination for picnickers, hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers.

Watershed Management Plan

The Little Gunpowder Watershed management Plan was completed in October 2001. The executive summary includes a summary of pollution loads and water quality problems. Management strategies are categorized into public land, developed land and agricultural land strategies. The executive summary (PDF) is available for download.